Brazilian president highlights migration issue in UN speech, seeks investment in U.S. trip

Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-26 19:17:14|Editor: mmm

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian media on Tuesday highlighted the speech made by President Michel Temer at the opening ceremony of the United Nations General Assembly.

Traditionally, Brazil opens the General Assembly since the founding of the UN, in the 1940s. It was Temer's third speech of this kind, after taking over the presidency shortly before the 2016 assembly.

Local media reported that Temer stressed the importance of properly receiving immigrants in his speech, talking about the Venezuelan immigration to Brazil and praised his administration's work to receive immigrants. He also stressed Brazil's diversity and history of immigration.

The issue has been a source of tension in the northern region of the country, as Brazil's Roraima state, which borders Venezuela, had received tens of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants over the past two years.

Border towns have seen incidents of xenophobic Brazilians attacking immigrants, and a significant increase in measles cases. State authorities have called for the closing of the border, but the federal government and courts denied the request.

In the speech, Temer stressed Brasilia's measures to improve the immigrants' lives, possible with the approval of a new migration law and the reallocation of Venezuelan immigrants in several states.

"We issued documents to allow them to work in the country. We offered school for the children, vaccination and healthcare to all," he said.

During his two-day trip to New York City, Temer met with some 100 U.S. investors, in which he confirmed that there will be a social security reform in the country, state news agency Agencia Brasil reported Tuesday.

He also met with Colombian President Ivan Duque, and with leaders of the other countries of Mercosur (Southern Common Market): Argentina's Mauricio Macri, Paraguay's Tabare Vazquez and Uruguay's Mario Benitez.